Transfer apparatus



Dec. 30 1924. I 1,522,404

1 A. SMITH TRANS FER APPARATUS Filed Jan. 14, 1922 ATTORNEYS FatentedDec, 39,

AUGUSTUS SMITH, OF EOSELLE, NEVI JERSEY, ASSIGNOE T0 BERGER POINT IRONWORKS, OF BAYONNE, NEW JERSEY, It CORPGRATION OF NEl-V JERSEY.

TRANSFER APPARATUS.

Application filed. January it, 1922.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, AUGUSTUS SMITH, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, residing at Roselle, in the county of Union and gtate of NewJersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in TransferApparatus, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to transfer appara toe, and particularly to thatclass of apparatus used for fueling or bunkering steamers. The object ofmy invention is to provide a transfer apparatus of this general typewith means by which the material transferred, such as. coal, is weighedor measured during the transfer process. The invention is not, however,limited to a coal bunkering installation, and it is to be understoodtherefore that it is merely to illustrate the invention that suchapparatus is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is amore or less diagrammatic side elevation, partially in section, of acoal bunkering apparatus; and

Figs. 2, 3 and 4, are partial views at right angles thereto.

The invention contemplateslst, a digger; 2nd, a measuring device(preferably with an associated weigher) 3rd, a hoister, and 4th, adistributer.

As illustrated, the digger comprises a stiff trussed mast l, capable ofbeing turned on a vertical axis so that the bucket can reach any part ofan extensive, semi-circular area; a hopper 2 for receiving the coal fromthe bucket; a boom 3 for suspending the bucket at any desired distancefrom the axis of the mast; a pendulum trolley or guidesheave frame tsuspended from the outer end of the boom 3 and capable of being swung inand out toward or away from the axis of the mast; a digging bucket 5,preferably of clam-shell type; a delivery throat 6 communicating withthe receiving hopper 2 and having its lower terminus at a pointsubstantially concentric with the axis of the mast; rope and windingdrums 7 for hoisting, lowering and closing the bucket, and for pullingin the pendulum trolley so as to pull the bucket over the hopper, allconveniently mounted on and operated from the trussed mast. The detailsof construction of these parts do not enter into my invention, but willbe readily understood by any one Serial No. 529,099.

killed in the art. The invention resides in general organization, ratherthan in the pecific construction of details of the appaatus.

The measuring device consists of a fixed chute 8 communicating with thelower end of the hopper threat 6, and closed at the bottom by a cut-offgate 9 for positively cutting off flow of coal. As shown, this gatecomprises a slide or guillotine, operated by a steam ram 9 of suilieientpower to drive the gate through a solid lump of coal, cutting it as aknife. Below the gate is a measuring container 10 of known dimensions,brought to a fixed point with relation to the cut-off gate 8 in respectto both horizontal and vertical measurements, so that when the container10 is in its selected position, and the cut-off gate is open, a fixedand uniform quantity of coal will fall from the inclined chute into thecontainer, (provided there is a surplus of coal in the chute and hopperabove it) depending upon the natural coefficient of friction of thecoal, which has a constant and determinable value for any given kind ofcoal. The fixed vertical relation of the container with respect to thegate is obtained by suitable stops 10 at the bottom of the hoistwayguide.

Means for bringing the container 10 from the bottom of the hoistway toproper position under the gate for receiving a measured charge of coalconsists, as here shown, of the lower portion 11 of the hoistway tracks11. This lower portion of the trackway is hinged at 11 and is swung by apair of cranks 12 and suitable connectingrods 13 extending from each ofthe tracks? When the container is in the position shown in full lines inFig. 1, it underlies the throat 8 and is ready to be filled and chargedwith coal from the hopper and chute, the amount of coal entering thecontainer being a definite measured quantity by virtue of thearrangement described. When the trackway 11 is swung to its verticalposition in alignment with the upper fixed portion 11, the con tainer isin position to be raised.

If it is desired to weigh the charge before the container is lifted, Imay provide a weighing device. This preferably consists of an ordinaryplatform scale 14: equipped with a lever not shown) in the usual manner,so that by means of the lever the platform may be raised and thus liftthe container with its load of coal from the limit stop at the bottom ofthe lower end of the hoistway track, and taking the full weight ofcontainer and coal in it for the purpose of weighing. This operation canbe performed with every load of coal, or only occasionally, at thediscretion of the operator; or it may be omitted altogether if weighingis not desired.

A further adjunct of the weighing device when used on a floatingpontoon, is some suitable means for insuring horizontality of theplatform scale, or verticality of the application of the load to beweighed upon the platform scale. In the present embodiment of myinvention this is accomplished by so ballasting the pontoon P that itnormally careens away from the high sided vessel V- that is to becoaled, and by providing a suit able tacklev 16 at some elevated pointabove the deck of the pontoon so that the latter can be pulled towardthe high sided vessel and the careening corrected until the scale ishorizontal and qualified to read correct weights. This may beconveniently evidenced by a careening indicator pendulum (not shown), ascommonly used on vessels to determine or correct listing. A furtherutility of this careening ballast of the pontoon and high correctingtackle is to firmly lash the transfer pontoon with its apparatus to theship that is being coaled.

The hoisting device comprises a skip hoist rope 17, supported in a rigidsteel tower 18 and operated by a differential drum 19 of the type shownin my Patent No. 929,508, July 27, 1909. Any suitable hoisting devicemay be used, however, for lifting the coal, after it has been measuredor weighed, to a point high enough to allow it to slide by gravity toits destination.

The distributing devices comprise a pair of swiveling telescopic chutesC receiving the coal from an apron 20 onto which the skip is dumped. Adeflector 21 may be associated with the apron so that the coal can beshunted into one of the chutes, or if the deflector be held in midposition the coal from the skip may be divided equally between thechutes. The usual conveniences in the way of derricks 22 for handlingthe chutes are provided, one for each chute, as part of the dlstributionsystem. If the coal is to be delivered at a point more remote than canbe readily reached by the chutes, portable conveyors (not shown) may beprovided in extension of the chutes, and to which the latter deliver.This feature, however, is quite independent of the main elements of theinstallation to which my invention is directed.

If desired, the pontoon may be of suflicient size to carry a pluralityof like transfer devices so that they may operate simultaneously atdifferent points along the length of the coal barge, or other supplypoint, and

many ways, without departing from what l:

claim as my invention.

1 claim 1. In transfer apparatus, a chute, a hoistway, guides thereon, acontainer designed to travel up and down the hoistway, and means wherebysaid container with the lower portion of the hoistway and guides may beshifted from hoisting position to loading position with said containerdirectly under the discharge end of the chute, and while the containermaintains its position on the hoistway guides.

In transfer apparatus, the combination of a rotatable hopper, a fixedinclined chute to which the hopper discharges, a hoistway, guidesthereon, container designed to travel up and down the hoistway, andmeans whereby said container with the lower portion of the hoistway andguides may be shifted bodily from hoisting position to loading positionwith said container directly under the discharge end of the chute, andwhile the container maintains its position on the hoistway guides.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

AUGUSTUS SMITH.

